The Price of Magic
by booksy101
Summary: Magic is great. It solves everything instantaneously. But sometimes it just doesn't work.


**AN: This story starts around the season 2 finale of OUAT. I'm probably going to change a lot of canon season 3. Actually I'm probably changing all of it, so you've been warned. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time. If I did, this probably would have happened.**

* * *

She held on to the pipe with all her might. She couldn't fall into the portal. She had her son to look after, and she could never just leave him behind.

He reached for her with his left arm, his right side aching from the bullet wound. He wouldn't let her fall. He was not going to let her go. Not again.

The pipe couldn't fight the force of the swirling portal; the bright green magic hole in the floor became more powerful the longer it stayed open. Someone had to fall in for it to close.

There was no way to see where it lead, no way to tell how long the trip was. The hole was just there waiting for the pipe to break.

He tried with his remaining strength to reach for her, but he was weak from the pain of the bullet wound, memory of his broken love. Love that had been broken time and time again.

She held on until finally the pipe snapped, and she tumbled towards the swirling green hole. She feared what might be on the other side right before he caught her hand. She held on. Maybe, just maybe she would make it. He held onto her, not wanting to let go but it was too late. The force of the portal was too strong.

"Neal!" She screamed.

"Emma! Please, don't let go," He cried out. He couldn't let her go. His love could not break. Not again.

"I can't hold on. Please." It was so hard to hear anything over the stirring portal. Her cries ripped through her throat.

"I'm not letting go, not yet. Henry needs you. Storybrooke needs you," He paused for a moment. "I need you."

It was true. Neal couldn't let Emma go. Not after his fiancee manipulated him. Emma was the one thing he had left, his last chance to mend his broken love, to find family.

"I'm coming with you," He decided rashly. He couldn't let her go so easily.

"No Neal! You're shot. you won't make it if you come with me. You have to let me go. If I can't be there for Henry you have to. Please. Don't leave him alone." Her hand was slipping. He couldn't hold on.

"But, I'm not letting go. Not again."

"You have to! Please! Make sure Henry is okay," Her hand was still slipping. His wound was consuming what little strength he had left.

He looked at her one last time. "I will find you. Don't worry."

Her hand slipped and she fell as the green swirling portal closed. She fell and so did his shattered heart.

* * *

Emma didn't know how long the fall was. It seemed to go on forever. She didn't pick up speed and she couldn't see the end of the portal. She just slowly floated downwards as if she were as light as a feather.

Suddenly she hit the water. She was surprised that she survived the impact after the long fall, but then she remembered, logic doesn't work with magic. She held her breath and tried to swim back to shore.

She couldn't reach the shore. The more she swam up the deeper she sank. Terrified for her life she tried harder and harder but soon her lungs gave out and she was overcome by darkness.

* * *

Neal stumbled out of the seafood cannery clutching his bleeding left shoulder. He crashed into Mary Margret and David.

"Neal! You're bleeding. What happened?" Mary Margret asked, voice filled with worry.

"Where is Emma?" David asked noticing she was missing.

"Tamara. Bad. Emma. Fell." Neal's vision started to get hazy. He couldn't ignore the pain.

"We've got... the hospital... David. He ... much longer." Neal tried to listen to what she was saying but he couldn't. He could only hear fragments.

"...see if there ... to Regina..." Then he blacked out.

* * *

Neal woke up with gauze taped on his shoulder and a sling holding his arm.

He blinked. "What happened?" He looked around the white room to see if anyone was there. He spotted his son, Henry, with a grin growing on his face.

"Dad! You're awake." Henry rushed towards his dad's bed. "You're finally awake."

Neal put his hand on his kid's shoulder. "It's good to see you too kid."

"Do you know what happened to Mom?" He asked

"You're Mom?" And then Neal remembered the portal. He looked Henry in the eyes and told him slowly, "Kid, you know my fiancee, Tamara?"

"You mean the woman who shot you," Henry reminded him.

Neal was surprised. "How did you know?"

"I overheard Snow and David. Apparently it's the last thing you said. I mean they were assuming, but they seemed pretty sure, and seeing your reaction, I'm pretty sure it's true. So where's Mom?"

Neal just nodded. Sometimes he forgot how aware Henry really was after all, he was only an eleven year old boy. "Well, Tamara stole a bean and made a portal. Your mom fell down, and I'm not really sure where."

Henry's smile disappeared. Neal noticing this said, "Hey kid. I know your mom, and she is a fighter. Don't worry she will come back. And I'm not going to stop looking for her."

Henry pursed his lips and nodded. He leaned over and gave his dad a hug. Neal was shocked. He'd known this kid for about three days and he was already so attached to him. He was so glad that Henry seemed to return the love. Neal hugged him back with his good arm and rested his chin on his head. Henry was his best chance at family, and Neal would never stop fighting for his son.

Just then someone entered the Room. "Bae," he said in a soft voice.

Neal and Henry broke their embrace. Neal let out a small sigh. "Papa," he said so bluntly. Neal stared wearily at his father before telling his son to go find Mary Margret and David to tell them about Emma. He knew his father probably wanted some time to talk. Not that Neal wanted to talk to his dad. There was too much pain there, but he knew Rumple would never leave him alone.

Rumple's eyes followed Henry with an odd, cold stare as the kid left. Then they fixated on the gauze taped to his son's shoulder. "Who did this to you?" Rumple asked.

"I'm not telling you," Neal stated.

"Tell me who did this to you," Rumple demanded. His voice got sharper and his hand clenched more tightly around his cane.

"No," He said again. "I know you, Papa. And if I tell you who did this I know what you'll do. You won't stop until you find them and then you won't even think twice before you murder them in some sick twisted way. I saw what you did to that man who hit on Belle. You tell me that you've changed, but I know you haven't, and I don't think I could ever forgive myself for assisting you with murder even if the information is just a name."

Rumple grew impatient. "Look Bae..."

"It's Neal."

"Okay, Neal. You were shot and I need to know who did this to my son. Tell me who did this."

Neal looked down, shook his head and gave a small laugh of disbelief. "Did you not just listen to what I said? No. I'm trying to help you."

"No!" Rumple said in a loud voice. "I'm trying to help you! Now just tell..."

"No!" Neal shouted.

A nurse came into the room. "What's wrong? I heard shouting. Is everything all right."

Neal gave a large sigh. He turned towards the nurse and smiled. "Everything is okay. No need to worry. I'm fine." The nurse nodded and left.

Rumple just kept staring at Neal's wound with angry eyes, and Neal shifted uncomfortably. Rumple finally closed his eyes and said, "Fine. I won't bother you about who did it, but at least let me heal your wound."

"Thank you for asking, but no. Papa I don't need you to heal my wound."

"Bae, I mean Neal, I can't just watch you lie in pain. I'm your papa. I'm supposed to look out for you. Please just let me try to be a better father." Rumple desperately wanted to help his son and magic was the only way he knew how.

"Look, Papa" and for the first time all day Neal looked at his father and smiled. Granted, it wasn't a big smile, but it was good enough. He took his father's hand and Rumple moved closer to listen. "I know you mean well. I really do. But I can't accept your magic, especially after I've seen how much damage it has caused. Don't worry about my pain. I have been through much worse."

When Neal said this, for the first time in weeks, Rumple realized how much of his son's life he had missed. Baelfire must have been through so much in the past century, and Rumple knew it was all his own fault. It was his duty as a dad to protect his son and he failed. He just wanted to make up for everything he had done wrong. Rumple agreed to not us magic to heal his son. The one thing he could do was respect his son's wishes.

"Thanks Papa." Neal smiled more. "Hey could I maybe take a nap?"

Rumple nodded , "Sure, son." And he walked away to let his son rest. Neal needed to after this long week.

* * *

Emma woke up with a jolt. She was pretty sure that she just drowned. How was she still alive?

Emma looked around. She was sitting on a bed, probably in a hospital since she thought she was drowning, so someone probably caught her and took her to a hospital. But the weird thing was that the walls seemed to be made of shimmering solid gold.

Emma took a look around again and she realized that she seemed to be moving really slowly, and oddly enough her hair was flying all over the place.

She was under water. How in the world was she able to stay dry and breathe under water?

Just then someone entered the room. A large woman with skin that looked grey, hair whiter than snow, and eight long tentacles in place of legs.

"Oh look," the octopus lady said. "Our little savior is finally awake."


End file.
